Fluidic manipulation on the microscale requires new methodologies. Generally, typical practice involves incorporating external, macro-scale valve components with microfluidic cartridges. Such configurations can result in sample loss and/or fluid leaking.
Integrated valve structures are also employed, and state-of-the-art practice includes depositing extraneous materials into the cartridge or adding pneumatic layers and controllers. These processes can be cumbersome, costly, and difficult to mass-produce. For instance, it can be challenging to automate deposition of phase-change materials into a cartridge, especially in multilayered and laminate cartridges.
Accordingly, there is a need for simplified architectures for microvalves that can be assembled in parallel with current techniques employed for cartridge fabrication. In particular, such microvalves could minimize cost of fabrication, thereby providing disposable fluidic cartridges for single-use detection of biological and chemical targets.